Nukila Evanty

Name: Nukila Evanty

Role: Director

Organisation: RIGHTS Foundation

Active in Country: Indonesia

DTP Program: 27th Annual Program Timor Leste 2017

From the DTP training, I appreciated hearing the testimonial from DTP Founder, José Ramos-Horta; learning about the history and Timor-Leste’s fight for independence; learning how to interpret and utilise UN Human Rights Treaty Bodies Recommendations; learning how to implement UN SDGs; producing video advocacy; and sharing and learning from other participants’ experiences

Nukila is the Director of the RIGHTS Foundation, an NGO that assists Indigenous peoples and other marginalised groups to participate in government programs. Nukila also works as a Senior Advocate for the AMAN Indragiri Hulu Riau Indonesia working with Indigenous peoples of Rokan Hilir Riar Indonisia. AMAN works to promote the rights and sovereignty of Indigenous people across Indonesia.

Nukila has spent 12 years doing advocacy work with Indigenous peoples in Indonesia, focusing on providing education and conducting research. She advocates on the issues concerning Indigenous peoples, including climate change, and environmental issues, land rights, and the protection of language, culture and rituals for those who live remotely.

In February 2018, after her participation in the DTP training, Nukila was elected as a Director to the Board of Association for Women's Rights in Development (AWID). AWID is an international, feminist, membership based organization committed to achieving gender equality, sustainable development and women's human rights.

From the DTP’s training, Nukila learnt how to strategically and effectively use human rights mechanisms on a national, regional and international level and how to better promote and protect the rights of Indigenous peoples.

After the DTP training, I feel very useful as a human rights defender…. I would like to talk to the chair of my organisation and I would like to collaborate not only with AMAN but with other local NGOs…The most important thing is to transfer and share the knowledge and skills

Furthermore, Nukila learnt about different methods of human rights advocacy particularly through mock mediation exercises on business and human rights where she learnt negotiation techniques; methods on protection of women and children from a trainer from UN Women. She also found that the diplomacy skills, report writing, drafting skills and campaigning skills taught were crucial to her development as an advocate.

I am grateful to be one of DTP’s alumni. After the DTP’s 2017 Annual Program, I implemented the tools I learnt from the training and have helped Indigenous peoples at Peatland area in Jambi Riau Indonesia to claim for their rights. The training also gave me the confidence to go to the UN regional office in Bangkok to learn more about the UN system on human rights.

We acknowledge the traditional custodians of the land on which we work, the Bedegal people of the Eora Nation. We pay our respects to the Elders – past, present and emerging – and the youth who are working towards a brighter tomorrow.